Magyk (book)
Magyk is the first novel in the Septimus Heap Series. It was published in 2005. It is a fantasy novel written by Angie Sage. The sequel, Flyte, was published in 2006, the third book, Physik, in 2007, the fourth book, Queste in 2008, the fifth book, Syren, in 2009, and the sixth book has not been announced yet. Illustrations Before the first chapter, there is a map of The Castle and surrounding areas, including The Forest, The Port, and the Marram Marshes In the bottom left hand corner, an enlarged map of The Castle show the inside of it. There are nineteen new chapter illustrations, for 49 Chapters. All pictures were created by Mark Zug. Plot The book begins outside of The Castle, in The Ramblings. Here, we find Silas Heap trudging through the snow with some herbal medicines for his wife Sarah Heap. Just outside the castle Silas finds an infant baby girl with violet eyes, stranded in the snow, and wrapped in a blanket. He hides her in his cloak and takes her with him. Upon returning to a castle, he learns about the succession of Marcia Overstrand as ExtraOrdinary Wizard. He meets her in an alley way before he gets back and she tells him to keep the baby he found, raise her as his own and if anyone asks, acknowledge her as his daughter. Just as he is out to enter his house, the matron midwife runs out carrying his newborn son Septimus Heap (who has been predicted to have extraordinary powers as he is the seventh son of a seventh son) wrapped in cloth and pronouncing him dead. Silas names the baby girl Jenna and raises the child and protects her like his own child. The story revolves around the events of the time ten years after this incident, starting when Marcia comes to take Jenna in her to protection to stop her from being assassinated. At which point, Marcia also reveals Jenna as the previous Queen's daughter. Marcia takes Jenna away to protect her from an Assassin. Marcia saves Boy 412, a mysterious boy in the Young Army, outside the Wizard Tower from freezing to death, and takes him with them to her room in the tower. Silas, Nicko, and Maxie then come to visit Jenna in the tower. But before they are there for an hour, the Assassin arrives to kill Jenna. Marcia defends Jenna, and they all escape the tower through the rubbish chute. The chute leads them to a dump next to the docks where Nicko helps the group sail away on the Muriel, which is given to them by Sally, Sarah Heap's friend. Secretly in return, Marcia lends Sally her KeepSafe. The Hunter, a henchmen of the Supreme Custodian, is sent to chase them. Marcia uses a Reverse Spell to Project the Muriel, the boat that they're sailing on, and distract the Hunter, upon which he loses the groups trail, and has to return to the castle. Nicko, aided by Silas, sails the group to the island where Aunt Zelda lives; a cottage in the Marram Marshes. On the island, Boy 412 wanders around the marshes, falls into a pit with a large cavern in it, and finds a ring that glows when he places it on his finger. He keeps the ring a secret for sometime though. Marcia then walks with Boy 412, and shows him a charm that Alther, the old ExtraOrdinary Wizard gave to her when she was his Apprentice. Marcia sees that Boy 412 has potential, and asks him to become her Apprentice, but he refuses. Aunt Zelda also helps Jenna, Nicko, and Boy 412 make shield bugs to protect themselves. Marcia then tries to use her Midnight Minutes to protect herself when she goes back to the Wizard Tower because of a letter that said that she should go back. But then she gets captured by the Custodian Guards because she got her Midnight Minutes wrong. A few more weeks pass until the Hunter discover the groups location with Aunt Zelda, in the marshes, and returns to assassinate Jenna. Jenna and Boy 412 defend themselves by using shield bugs, and Aunt Zelda uses a Freezing Spell on the Hunter. Soon after the Hunter was frozen, they try to figure out the identity of DomDaniel's Apprentice, who claims to be Septimus when they capture him. Nicko firmly denies it after seeing what treachery the apprentice could do. Then, the Apprentice escapes and tells DomDaniel of their location. A bit after that, Aunt Zelda tells Boy 412 that the ring is the legendary Hotep-Ra's dragon ring which gives him control over the Dragon Boat. Aunt Zelda gives Boy 412 a book with the legend of Hotep-Ra. The legend says that Hotep-ra, the first ExtraOrdinary Wizard, was being pursued by people planning to kill him. Therefore, the dragon became a boat to save her mastser and before Hotep-Ra died he put the boat in his hidden temple. Afterward, Boy 412 soon begins to become interested in the art of Magyk, and the mysteries surrounding the ring. Aunt Zelda later tells Boy 412 that the cave in which he found the ring is connected to a secret cavern containing Hotep-ra's temple, and within it, the Dragon Boat. The boat was used by Boy 412, Nicko and Jenna in order to save Marcia and stop DomDaniel from being the ExtraOrdinary Wizard again. The boat talks to Jenna inside her head because she is the Princess. Only Boy 412 can fly and steer the boat. They rescue Marcia, and Boy 412 agrees to become Marcia's Apprentice. Later, they discover during the apprentice banquet that Boy 412 is really Septimus Heap, the presumed dead son of Silas Heap. Trivia The author, Angie Sage, includes a section about the number 7 in the "Extras" section of the paperback edition. This includes a list of hidden sevens. For example: *There are 49 chapters: 7 times 7 = 49 *Boy 412 - (4 + 1 + 2 = 7) *The Heap's new address: Corridor 223, Room 16 - (2 + 2 + 3 = 7, 1 + 6 = 7) *In Chapter 28 (which itself is a multiple of 7), the Apprentice learns up to 13 times 7. *Thirteen is the number that is one away from fourteen, which is also a multiple of 7. Category:Septimus Heap Series